There are worse worries than college rejection or having to turn down a dream school

Parent Cafe
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<p>"PORTLAND, Ore. - At first, 9-year-old Brehanna didn’t seem to understand.</p>

<p>Her family was being evicted from their home in Tualatin, a Portland suburb. Her father, Joe Ledesma, a homebuilder for 20 years, was without a job and couldn’t find another. He couldn’t pay the $800 rent on the three-bedroom house where he, his wife Heidi and daughter lived.</p>

<p>And he couldn’t get through to Brehanna as they packed the family’s navy blue 1986 Pontiac Firebird that she would not be able to bring her bed. She would not be able to bring every toy or trinket, or that checkered desk she had spent hours painting and sanding, either…</p>

<p>That was in December, when Brehanna joined the unhappy ranks of American children who experience homelessness — a group that includes one child out of every 50 in America, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness."
[Homeless</a> girl comes to grips with a hard life - Personal finance- msnbc.com](<a href=“http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30644993//]Homeless”>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30644993//)</p>

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<p>What a sad story. And multiply it by about a million kids or more in this country. You are so right Northstarmom. It really helps put things in perspective.</p>

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<p>File this under: “I cried because I had no shoes; then I met a man who had no feet…”</p>

<p>What does this have to do with college admissions?</p>

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<p>Other than giving one perspective, nothing. It doesn’t have to, its in the Cafe.</p>

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<p>I read this story today as well and it broke my heart. My husband lost his job 4 months ago and we really try to stay positive and hopeful in the job search. But every so often, I do get discouraged and will have a few days of crying and worrying about my son finishing his first year of school and my second finishing his senior year of high school and heading off in the fall and our daughter just starting high school. How are we going to swing tuition this next year? I worry about making COBRA payments, house payments, etc. Then I feel guilty when I read stories like this. We still have a roof over our heads, we had enough to eat today, we received a severance package and with a VERY frugal lifestyle can hang on a little while longer, we can put gas in our car, and have an internet connection to aid in the job search. So many people have it so much worse.</p>

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<p>AZKMom,
Good luck to you and your husband. Hope he finds something suitable soon.</p>

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<p>Then why the patronizing thread title?</p>

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<p>The thread title is not patronizing. It says exactly what it means. I will paraphrase, if you need it: “You and your kid may be freaking out over getting into colleges, but this story will help to put things into perspective.”</p>

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<p>Since I haven’t heard from my 18 yr old daughter who was traveling to Goa and I can’t reach her, or her friends and am very worried- I would agree with the thread title.
College means nothing compared to worrying about your child.</p>

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<p>Of course it is. You can always minimize someone else’s worry by comparing it to something worse.</p>

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<p>Emerald, I hope you hear from her soon and that she is safe.</p>

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<p>I agree with lafalum. Why nitpick over the title of the thread? I dont see it as patronizing, I see it as acknowledging that we all have stressors in our lives, but that they take on different dimensions.</p>

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<p>“. I will paraphrase, if you need it: “You and your kid may be freaking out over getting into colleges, but this story will help to put things into perspective.””</p>

<p>Yes, this is exactly what I meant.</p>

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<p>Here’s a couple emails I just received ragarding the child of a former co-worker. Now THAT is something to endure.</p>

<p>Many of you have been asking for updates, and I’m sure a lot of you are not even aware - so I thought I would provide a quick update on Jay and Ellie’s daughter Mary Kate (8 years old).</p>

<p>Mary Kate had what was believed to be the flu/fever, until she had a seizure last Wednesday evening. This put her in the emergency room, where they found that she had severe liver failure, which, in turn, was causing other organs to fail (this was found out over the course of Thursday and Friday). They have not been able to point towards a cause, other than some kind of serious virus infection, which has yet to be identified in any tests. </p>

<p>They put her under on Friday to help relieve some of the physical issues of being sick and alert and an 8-year-old who did not care to be stuck in a hospital bed. This also gave them the opportunity to add more machines and medications to help her organs function, etc., without the discomfort. Then she took a turn for the worse during the course of Friday night. After being told there might be little else that could be done due to her rapid deterioration, MK mustered up enough vital signs to get accepted into Seattle Children’s transplant program. She has seen many miracles these past 24 hours, starting with her flight up here, which they did not expect her to survive. They were able to stabilize her, and she is now on ECMO (heart/lung bypass), kidney dialysis, and liver dialysis. </p>

<p>A lot of things need to fall into place over the course of the next week or so, but the hope is that she can begin to regain the health of some of her organs, rid herself of the pneumonia that has formed in her lungs, and become healthy enough for a liver transplant. Time is our ally at this point, giving her the ability to regain some health. </p>

<p>Mary Kate is strong-willed, a real fighter and and she can do most anything, which gives everyone a great deal of hope.</p>

<p>MK, Jay and Ellie thank you for your continued thoughts and prayers.</p>

<p>The web site below is updated a couple times a day and includes hundreds of letters and prayers for Mary Kate from friends, classmates, family and even those who have never had the opportunity to meet MK.</p>

<p>[CaringBridge</a> / Visit A CaringBridge Webpage](<a href=“http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/marykatesstory]CaringBridge”>http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/marykatesstory)</p>

<p>Saturday, May 9, 2009 5:44 PM, PDT
Today was our first day without Mary Kate. I think she knew it would be tough, so she asked the sun to shine. Leaving Seattle was one of the hardest things we have done, but it was a typical ride home with kids - many bathroom stops, many “I am hungry” and all the great things that go with children.</p>

<p>We drove into our neighborhood and every mailbox had a yellow ribbon on it. It was a beautiful way to come home, even if it was without her.</p>

<p>We are going to have a big celebration of her life. She was one to always ask me “if this was all the people we invited to a party.” She loved having lots of people around. We do not have the details worked out, but will use this site to share them.</p>

<p>Also, Jay and I would like to ask that, in lieu of flowers, that you consider a donation to St. Clare School. We will be setting up an endowed fund in her name. She loved St. Clare, and we can think of no better way to honor her memory, than to create something that will continue to pay it forward. More details on this later.</p>

<p>Last night we were with friends and there was lots of kids around. This feels strange to them and they are not sure if they can ask or talk about what happened. We want to talk about Mary Kate and what happened. This is part of the process, so no one at school or elsewhere should feel shy about talking to us … it’s okay! </p>

<p>Although our hearts ache, our faith is strong, and our hope will be everlasting. She taught us this this past week. </p>

<p>Thank you to everyone for keeping your hope. Ellie</p>

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<p>Barrons,
That is so very sad. Nothing is sadder than losing a child.</p>

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<p>I’ll never understand why children must suffer. God bless Brehanna, Mary Kate, and all the others.</p>